Owen Oyston reveals new Blackpool FC takeover bid to help 'long suffering' fans

Former Blackpool FC owner Owen Oyston is planning a controversial move to buy back Blackpool FC and ‘gift’ it back to the long suffering fans.

Claiming his love for BFC remains deep, Oyston says that the move would benefit the club and the resort’s local economy.

Oyston’s 32-year ownership of Blackpool FC - which ran from 1988 to 2019 - was marred by protests, boycotts, investigations and litigations, ultimately ending when he sold to current owner Simon Sadler.

Under his new masterplan, Oyston’s said his vision was to give Blackpool FC back to the fans, adopting a ‘Bundesliga style’ ownership model commonly known as 50+1. The model involves fans owning 50 per cent of all shares, plus one vote, giving them a majority voting power for decision-making.

One of the founding members of the BFC Supporters Trust, who boycotted the club for five years, described the plans as ‘laughable’.

BFC was put up for sale by Sadler in January 2025, and despite preliminary talks with Singapore-based investor Henry Teh, it is thought no formal bids have been received.

In June 2025, Oyston sent two emails, which have been seen by The Gazette, to Sadler. In these correspondences, the 92-year-old makes his stance clear, writing: “Now is the time to gift BFC shares to the long-suffering BFC fans.”

Oyston said that he would “never own shares in Blackpool Football Club again unless it is to pass them over as a gift to the fans”. He added that public ownership of the club could have “a huge impact on the local and regional economy”.

In the email, Oyston also questioned the legitimacy of Sadler’s ownership of the club. He claimed Sadler’s ownership is ‘void ab initio’, or void from the start, because he bought shares from Valeri Kelokon, a Latvian businessman who co-owned 20 per cent of the club between 2006 and 2019, who is now serving a 20-year prison sentence in Kazakhstan for money laundering, tax evasion and dishonesty.

Oyston filed a lawsuit against Sadler’s ownership but in his emails, Oyston indicated he would be willing to drop his lawsuit if Sadler agreed to a fan-led ownership model.

Blackpool FC were approached about the takeover bid by The Gazette but declined to comment.

Sadler is currently involved in his own legal issues in Hong Kong over allegations of insider dealing linked to his former hedge fund, Segantii Capital Management. Sadler has denied the charges. He is set to learn the verdict on February 11, 2027 and could face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.

Oyston, who now lives in Lancaster with his daughter, has now revealed he is estranged from his son Karl, who was Chairman of the club between 1999 and 2018. The pair have been embroiled in a series of lengthy and very public disputes over the years, culminating in Karl suing Owen in 2019 over an alleged unpaid wages dispute.

According to The Fence, Karl is not supportive of his fathers takeover bid, stating that he has no right to start divvying up the club on behalf of the fans.

Karl said “It’s not his to give away; it has absolutely nothing to do with him or me or anyone but Mr Sadler.”

Former Blackpool FC Supporters Trust Chairwoman Christine Seddon dismissed Oyston’s plans as “the fantasy of a deluded old man.”

Lee Good, one of the founding members of the Supporters Trust who also boycotted Bloomfield Road for five years in protest to Oyston’s ownership, says he would be willing to boycott again if the 92-year-old re-took control of the club.

He said: “I think it’s laughable and that it’s a non-event. It’s got no legs, there’s nothing behind it. I’d vote with my feet and walk again; I think he’s deluded.”